Thu, Jul 30, 2026
12 headlines
Sri Lanka Daily News Digest - Thursday, July 30, 2026
JUDGES' RETIREMENT AGE ROW: The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) held a Special General Meeting in Hulftsdorp today with a large lawyer turnout and unanimously passed a resolution opposing the government's proposed constitutional amendment to raise the retirement age of judges. BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya said the Association was not consulted before the government moved forward with the amendment, calling it a serious procedural lapse. Separately, a Daily Mirror opinion piece argued true judicial efficiency requires systemic reform rather than simply extending retirement ages, warning against conflating a parliamentary majority with unchecked constitutional power.
TOURIST KILLED IN BENTOTA PARASAILING ACCIDENT: A 31-year-old Palestinian woman died yesterday evening after a parasail she was using crashed into the sea off the Bentota coast. Police are investigating the accident.
HOSPITAL FINED FOR OVERCHARGING: A private hospital in Vavuniya has been fined Rs. 500,000 for charging above the government-controlled rate for a Full Blood Count (FBC) test, as authorities continue cracking down on private healthcare pricing violations.
POLICE CONSTABLE DIES IN APPARENT SUICIDE: A constable attached to the Anti-Corruption Unit died after shooting himself with his service firearm, in what police suspect was a suicide.
HOUSING SCAM ARREST: The Mirihana Special Crimes Investigation Division has arrested a private company director accused of defrauding members of the public by promising houses and land under an easy-payment investment scheme.
TRAIN DELAY ON KKS LINE: Passengers on the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Intercity Express faced delays and overcrowding after the train developed a technical fault at Veyangoda Railway Station.
WORLD NEWS: In Japan, the death toll from Wednesday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake in the south has risen to 13, with rescuers still pulling survivors from a collapsed shopping mall and power outages affecting thousands of homes. Meanwhile, Reuters reports Iran is set to receive its first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-launched air-defence missile systems within weeks, as it works to rebuild its defences following its war with the United States.